Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana is an all-inclusive resort on the Boulevard Turístico del Este in the Bávaro area, beside the sand beaches of the Dominican coast. The resort displays a Four Diamond badge, and music runs through the stay, from pool soundtracks to nightly shows. It suits couples, families and friends who like a resort with energy.

Rooms and suites come with a private balcony, a Hydro Spa Tub, free Wi-Fi and room service around the clock. Choices run from the Caribbean Suite and Islander Junior Suite to the Rock Royalty Caribbean Sand Suite, with garden, pool and lagoon views and partial ocean views on the Rock Royalty. Families can choose the Rock Family Suite, with a living room, dining area and two bathrooms, while the two bedroom Rock Suite sleeps up to six.

Rockaway Bay Water Park has 26 slides, with sets for children, teenagers and adults. Hard Rock Golf Club at Cana Bay, an 18 hole Nicklaus Golf course, sits next to the resort with transport from the main lobby. Scuba diving, snorkelling, sailing, deep-sea fishing and horseback riding are all on offer. Roxity Kids Club has a trampoline zone and mini theatre, while the teen gaming room has eight PS5 stations. Evenings bring nightly shows, Oro Nightclub and a casino.

Thirteen pools sit along Venetian-style canals, each with its own mood. Sax Pool is calm and relaxed, Guitar Pool and Drums Pool are lively, and Eden Pool is for adults only. Four swim-up bars and three kids pools with flume slides keep every age happy. The Rock Spa covers about 60,000 square feet with 50 treatment rooms and a hydrotherapy circuit of lagoons, two whirlpools, a steam room, a sauna and an ice room. Body Rock is the fitness centre, fitted with Technogym, and Rock Om offers yoga.

Your all-inclusive stay includes The Market food hall, Bistro Med for Mediterranean and Lebanese dishes, Ciao for contemporary Italian, Stacked for burgers, Los Gallos for Mexican, Toro steakhouse and Zen for teppanyaki and sushi. Montserrat Manor, a modern American steakhouse, and Youyu, serving Asian Pacific dishes inside the casino, are à la carte extras. Twenty-three bars and lounges include Moon Lounge and Bowling Bar, while Constant Grind Coffee & Bar stays open 24 hours.

Punta Cana International Airport is about a 30 minute drive away, La Romana Airport about an hour and Santo Domingo Airport about three hours. The resort sits next to the sand beaches of Punta Cana, and the Bávaro area has further golf courses. Tours and an area guide help with exploring further afield.